Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” Makes a Pit Stop in Kansas City
By Amy Tang
Cover Photo Courtesy of Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
Image courtesy of Getty Images
After months of anticipation, Taylor Swift finally graced Kansas City, Missouri with the “Eras Tour”—the ultimate concert experience of a lifetime. On July 8, thousands of Swifties gathered at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to not only see the highly acclaimed pop star, but also to celebrate the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). Naturally, this led to a large wave of purple outfits, glitter, and accessories, in addition to hundreds of costumes and “era”-themed clothes, as fans excitedly filled the massive venue.
To kick off the night, singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams and indie-pop band MUNA warmed up the crowd with their respective opening sets; Abrams brought a wistful, melancholic energy that juxtaposed with MUNA’s upbeat, danceable tracks.
Once the clock struck 8:00pm, the crowd buzzed with anxiety and enthusiasm as Swift’s dancers emerged from the stage. The “Eras Tour'' began with Lover, Swift made her grand entrance to “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince'' in a bedazzled bodysuit. Despite having already seen countless videos of her concert in the past few months, nothing could have prepared me to witness it with my own eyes. She quickly transitioned to “Cruel Summer” before performing a few other songs from Lover including the title track, “The Man,” and “The Archer”.
The next era to follow was Fearless. Swift underwent another costume change (the first of many) then hit the stadium with a wave of nostalgia as she strummed the opening chords to “Fearless”, followed by her familiar platinum hits “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story”. The stage sparkled with gold lights while Swift sang with her band; the audience loudly cheered and echoed her lyrics without missing a beat. She then transitioned into the woodsy aura of evermore, where she effortlessly captured everyone’s attention with her vulnerability through emotional tracks like “‘marjorie,” “champagne problems,” and “tolerate it”.
Before we knew it, Swift was ready to pick the pace back up for reputation––personally, I believe that this was one of the most impressive parts of the “Eras Tour”. The heavy, ground shaking bass and her fierce strut down the catwalk starkly contrasted with the magical forests of evermore. From the eye-catching staging and lighting, to her striking vocals during “Don’t Blame Me,” it was a wild ride from start to finish.
Since the Kansas City shows fell on a special weekend for Swift, she made sure to commemorate the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), with a new sparkling purple gown in addition to adding “Long Live” to the setlist. The evening continued with Red, which brought along more of Swift’s fun, catchy singles: “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble”. And almost as if she saved the best for last, “All Too Well (10 Minutes Version)” finished the era, topped off with a stadium full of Swifties singing every word of the iconic song.
She disappeared once more as the stage transformed yet again for folklore. Swift invited us back into her fantasy land through the complicated teenage love triangle in “betty,” this time wearing a flowing green dress. This ethereal era also included breathtaking performances of “the last great american dynasty,” “august,” “illicit affairs,” “my tears ricochet,” and “cardigan”. Even though the night was nearing its end, there was still plenty of dancing left to do. 1989 came in full force with “Style” and “Blank Space,” while “Shake It Off” proved itself to still be the ultimate party anthem even years after its initial release.
At last, it was time for Swift’s acoustic surprise song segment––the part of the night where Swifties all over the world anxiously wait to hear which two songs will be next on the chopping board. As dramatic as that sounds, it’s simply the truth. Everyone held their breaths in suspense as she made her way to the end of the catwalk, then low and behold, her iconic koi fish guitar made its appearance. This caused the crowd to erupt with joy as Swift began to sing “Last Kiss”; another ode to Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). This was followed by “dorothea,” which was performed on the piano while fans lit up the dark stadium with their phone flashlights.
Midnights closed out the “Eras Tour” with an electrifying finale. Starting with “Lavender Haze” and “Anti-Hero,” Swift had the audience on their feet dancing again in no time. Multi-colored confetti showered the floor during her final song “Karma” as she said her final farewells to her fans and made one last bow with her dancers.
The “Eras Tour” is truly one of a kind. Throughout the eventful night, we journeyed through Taylor Swift’s storied career and witnessed her evolution as not only a musician, but also as a person. Although the concert already had a run time of 3 hours, she somehow left me wanting more. Her sheer stamina as a performer and dedication to putting on an incredible performance for her fans was astonishing to watch, and it made one hell of a memorable experience for me as a first time Taylor Swift concert-attendee. This tour is not one you want to miss out on.
